NCAA Basketball: Ranking the Sweet 16 teams in 2022 NCAA Tournament

5. Duke (#2 seed)

Mike Krzyzewski’s 42nd and final season as head coach at Duke is progressing nicely for the Blue Devils, who find themselves once again in the Sweet Sixteen. They have far and away been the best team in the ACC, even if they couldn’t quite get the job done in the conference tournament, and have looked the part of a championship-level team at times this season.

It was business as usual for the Blue Devils in the opening round, securing the 78-61 win over 15-seed Cal State Fullerton without too much drama. Paolo Banchero (17 points, 10 rebounds) played a starring role, Mark Williams had 15 points of his own, and the offense soared as always. Things were a bit tougher in the second game, but with the same result. 7-seed Michigan State gave the Blue Devils a test, but Duke prevailed in an 85-76 victory, getting 19 points from Banchero and overcoming a late 5-point deficit.

This Duke offense is strong and lethal and is more of a threat than just Banchero, the freshman phenom. The Blue Devils have one of the best interior offenses in the country and are a threat to pound it in the paint on every possession. They’ve regularly put up impressive numbers, but will certainly get tested against a dynamic defense in Texas Tech next week. Will Coach K’s farewell tour keep going all the way to New Orleans?